Month: January 2010

ShopNYC Tours is grateful to have grown so much over the past two years! We realize, however, that many people who’d like to experience the city simply don’t have the time or money to visit. So we wanted to come up with a way that these people could still experience NYC: with our Webcam Shopping Experiences! These experiences allow people to shop in a unique, New York City boutique from anywhere in the world–through webcam. That’s right–you just set up an appointment to web chat–or web SHOP–with a boutique specialist/sytlist, logon to Skype.com, and SHOPNYC!

We will actually have a phone/e-mail consultation with you prior to your web appointment to find out what your general style is (classic, bohemian, trendy), what you’re looking for (dresses, jeans, handbags) and what sizes you wear in certain items. If you have a boutique that you’ve discovered online and you’re just dying to shop in it, we can arrange that for you as well. There’s also the option to add a model with your measurements to your shopping experience so you can actually see (in 3D) what the clothing will look like on YOU!

We realize that online shopping is popular, but it can also be extremely overwhelming and difficult. You’ll spend hours and hours browsing through 2-dimensional websites in the hopes that once something is shipped it will fit you correctly! Webcam shopping experiences give you the opportunity to avoid all of the downfalls of online shopping while enjoying personal style tips, the boutique ambiance (which is much more fun than staring at a computer screen) and a more unique selection of fashion than you can imagine.

It was an extremely cold day and the first shopping tour of 2010. A woman from Australia and her husband wanted to do something of interest but unfortunately their choices were very different. The woman wanted to shop and the man wanted to take photographs of the city. It just so happens that ShopNYC Tours has a friend who gives photography tours/lessons so it worked out perfectly for everyone!

We started our shopping tour walking through the beautiful and historic Washington Square Park and up University Place to Pia. This woman was serious about getting a new wardrobe since she had recently lost some weight. I figured this would be a great boutique to start in and get a feel for her style since they have a selection of both classic and trendy looks. Pia also has some amazing accessories that work perfectly with almost any style. After trying on a few of the blouses (which were a little on the trendy side) and not having much luck, I pointed her in the direction of one of their skirts. She said that she was looking at things for work and I knew that with a grey pencil skirt you couldn’t go wrong! It was a success.

From Pia, we headed over to Ibiza, but their funky, vintage-inspired clothing and accessories weren’t quite working. It was good to see what wasn’t working, however, because from this point of the tour and onward, I knew where we needed to shop!

I took her south of Washington Square Park to LaGuardia Place where we made two stops. The first was Helianthus where they had some amazing sales happening. We found a few trendier items that she took a chance with and tried on, but they didn’t quite work. The second stop was Purdy Girl and it ended up being a gold mine for her. Not only did they have a 50% off storewide sale happening, but she found everything from tops to dresses to jeans. We discovered that the shift dress was THE perfect fit for her and she ended up purchasing several of these Jackie & Michelle O numbers.

Following Purdy Girl, we headed down to Soho to the New York Look. This store is great because 1.) it’s huge but not department store huge and 2.) they have a wide range of sizes for each item like a department store but, again, it’s not one! She tried on several dresses by Elie Tahari, Tory Burch, and Nicole Miller along with jeans by 7 for All Mankind. New York Look–like Purdy Girl–was a very successful stop!

After finding some great stand-out pieces, she expressed that she wanted to find some basic staples at reasonable prices. I asked her if they had a Zara in Australia and to my surprise, she had never heard of it. I knew this would be the perfect place for her to get basics. It definitely was. She found a black turtleneck and some black skinny pants that fit her like a dream.

Zara was lacking in shirts, however, so we had time for one more quick stop across the street at Mango–another shop that, to my surprise, she hadn’t heard of. I figured it would be a good place to find blouses and it worked.

If you’re looking to find a new wardrobe that suits you, take a private shopping tour with us! We’ll focus on your style and shops that work best for your body type and your budget. To inquire, visit www.shop-nyctours.com/contact. We look forward to shopping with you!

So I have to admit that our tours are more popular with women, however, we do get the occasional request for tours that offer shopping for men too! Such was the case with the couple from Germany.

They were a lovely married couple in there 30s/40s and the lady had a strong love for trendy fashion whereas the guy definitely appreciate a simpler, classic style. I decided it would be best to start our shopping with the the women’s store since shopping for women can be a little more difficult and time consuming than shopping for men.

We began the tour in Greenwich Village at Pia, where I knew the lady would find some beautiful handbags and some very unique clothing by Debra Moorefield as well. She ended up taking a strong liking to one of their Treesje handbags (which I love) along with some of their beautiful Scottish cashmere. She actually ending up purchasing a black cashmere sweater that could be worn several ways (3 to be exact) which made it a very, very practical purchase.

Moving on from Pia, we headed next door to Ibiza where there was a huge sale going on since they’re moving to their new store very soon. The lady tried on several of their tops by Custo Barcelona along with some of their beautiful coats. It was another successful stop as she walked away with a dress, top and a beautiful black trench with mesh detail.

After Ibiza, we walked across the street to La Petite Coquette where, although a women’s lingerie store, was equally fun for the guy to shop, of course! The owner, Rebecca, was there and it was a pleasure to finally meet the creator of this gem-of-a-shop. Again, the lady walked away with some beautiful underwear by La Perla and beautiful hosiery by Wolford.

From here, the limo picked us up and I was told that we needed to find snow boots for the guy since it was due to start a blizzard at any moment. I took them to Keito in Soho on West Broadway and it was a little too fashion forward for the guy’s liking. So instead we went up the block to Reno fashions, where I knew they had more casual, sporty boots and shoes. Here they bought a classic pair of black boots for the guy along with some colorful Ugg boots for their two daughters.

It was back to the fashion track after this stop. The lady specified that she needed jeans so we headed down to Flying A in Soho where I knew they had a huge selection including: Domino, Notified, Paper Denim, 2 Blocks South, Maje, Joe’s Jean’s, and Eden. She tried on a few pair while the guy browsed the men’s selection but they didn’t have much luck on sizes.

We walked down the block and I suggested they take a peek in Olive & Bette’s since we were waiting on the limo. I knew they would be able to find different sizes for Joe’s Jeans here and also James Jeans as well. It was a success! She found jeans and a few cute tops to match which I believe were Plenty and Splendid.

After this stop, the lady insisted that she was through shopping and that we needed to focus on her husband. They enjoyed a glass of champagne while in transit and then the limo dropped us off at Inven.tory which ended up being a little too trendy for his liking. We were running out of time so we couldn’t get over to the East Village from Soho and have enough time so I suggested a last-minute stop in Noho at Save Khaki on the way back uptown to their hotel. It was a perfect fit–figuratively and literally. The guy was pleased with the style and the sizes also fit him well. He ended up purchasing a few sweaters, shirts and a couple pairs of pants. So although the lady left the tour with a small new wardrobe, the guy ended up doing well for himself too.

If you’d like to schedule a customized shopping tour for you and your hubby (or boyfriend), visit our website at www.shop-nyctours.com for more information. Happy New Year and we look forward to shopping with you!

Last week’s Recessionista shopping tour was for 3 lovely ladies from New Jersey and one of them was celebrating their 35th birthday. They told me that they visit NYC all the time, but that they wanted to try something different–so that’s why they came on the tour. They said that they usually don’t get out of Midtown because they really just don’t know where to go. I told them that they came on the right shopping tour!

Since the tour was scheduled just for the three of them and they were going to Dashing Diva on the Upper East Side afterwards, we started the tour in Soho and worked our way backwards to Union Square. The first stop I took them to was UniQlo. They had never been before (since it just opened in the last year and it’s the only one in the US) so they were surprised to find such great prices for such quality items. I explained to them that the latest designer to come to UniQlo was Jil Sander with her +J line.

After UniQlo, which is more about basics, we headed to TopShop which was definitely the opposite with their funky furs and dazzling sequins. They explored all three levels and were especially anxious to see the Shoe Lounge.

After a lot of browsing, we moved on to Nolita and headed to The Market NYC which is also known as the Young Designers’ Market. They absolutely LOVED it. From the unique knit hats, to some lovely CZ studs, to the sweet-smelling body butters, none of them left empty-handed. This stop, as usual, was definitely one of the most successful.

From Nolita, we headed up to Necessary Clothing in Noho. They browsed for a bit and then it was on to Monk, near Washington Square Park. They really enjoyed exploring all the unique vintage and consignment and the birthday girl bought herself a beautiful silk scarf.

From here we explored the Shoe District and then headed up Sixth Avenue to 14th Street, where we stopped at Gem Story and they bought some really cute jewelry with bargain, bargain, bargain prices. (I also bought my grandmother a pretty snowman pin!)

The next stop was Remix shoe store on 14th Street where one of the ladies bought a really fun and funky pair of rain boots (which was very appropriate since it was pouring the whole day!) From there, we made a quick stop at Strawberry and then I escorted them uptown to Macy’s where they wanted to shop before getting their manicures and pedicures at Dashing Diva.

Despite the rain and the cold, it was a fun tour and they had the chance to shop places that they hadn’t shopped before. If you’re a bargain-lover and would like to take our Recessionista Tour, visit our website at www.shop-nyctours.com/tours for more information. Hope to shop with you soon!